Ed..... You've already received some very good advice from Dave and Audean but I'll put in my two cents worth. You said you thought you had to take the stress test but you didn't say why. You also didn't mention whether you are taking blood pressure medicine.
I took the stress test for 10 years to get my medical. It's usually taken if you have, or they think you have, heart problems. If you have to take it you don't want to fail the first one. You need to know what it involves and prepare for it. I was given one called the Bruce Protocol. It lasts 9 minutes and they increase the speed and slope in steps. The second step is 3.4MPH and the third and last is 4.3MPH as I recall. That last one is a killer but doesn't last long(I didn't either). You're practically running up hill. I dreaded that test. You're hooked up to a EKG and they monitor it, pulse rate and blood pressure. In the test your heart rate must get up to a rate determined by your age and whether you are accustomed to exercise. They also look at the results of the EKG and a doctor does a writeup. If it's questionable they may make you do a thallium stress test as Audean described. I failed my first test because I was taking a beta-blocker hypertension drug and my heart rate would not come up without a bad reading on the EKG. I later passed the thallium test. I was licenced for one year each time. This may be more than you want to know about stress tests Ed! ED...I am sending you an E-MAIL in response to your posting on stall/spin. When I get it typed. It's lengthy and discusses related matters including weight, CG and my thoughts on the 13 degree question. In cleaning out my IN box I saw my name there too much so I think I'm just going read and enjoy others mail for a while. Best regards....Cliff
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
